A Reminiscence of Green Fields
by WhistlingWolf
Summary: A short trip to the countryside stirs up memories Arthur did not even know he possessed.


**A/N: Well hello to you all.. As stated on my profile page, I am really bad at finishing and updating stories and then I go and contradict my very own words. This little one just flew into my head and would not be chased away so I decided to man up and write it. I hope you like it, just keep in mind that English is not my first language and there might be mistakes. Thank you for reading.!**

**- I do not own the characters, this story stems from my imagination and any similarities with other stories are coincidental -**

* * *

><p><strong>A Reminiscence of Green Fields<strong>

A soft breeze ruffled his hair, stirring the autumn leaves, sending them spiralling up in the sky. The cool autumn sun shone down on him, blinding him, though he basked in the warmth it still provided.

His little girl ran past him, giggling as she chased the wayward leaves. Her dark wavy hair shone in the light, happy blue eyes shining with mirth. She tumbled a few feet down the hill, only to sit up and brush her hair out of her face leaving a dirty streak across her forehead.

'Elaine!' his wife exclaimed exasperated, walking towards the little girl who was now lying down on the ground, looking at the clouds passing by. 'What did I tell you, you cheeky little thing? Be careful where you step!' she rubbed the girls forehead, trying to get rid of the mud plastered on the little face.

Elaine squirmed in her grip. 'But mum! The leaves were dancing too fast, it was not my fault! Tell them to go slower then.' The little girl pouted.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips, earning him a reprimanding glance from his wife. He quickly schooled his features in a non committal smile, trying to keep his laughter in. She looked at him, curly black hair blowing in the wind, her deep brown eyes knowing, as she slowly shook her head and rolled her eyes. She always knew him by heart.

He turned away from the amusing scene and gazed out over the fields. This weekend they had decided to escape from the busy London city life. They had travelled east to Wales, renting a cottage outside of Newport. Located on a small country lane, it had been the perfect place to spend a relaxing day away from his much too demanding job as a state attorney.

The autumn breeze made its way over the green hills. He felt at home here, his heart beat slowed down as he relaxed and closed his eyes. Small scenes started playing behind his eyes. Green fields, similar to the ones he had seen just a moment ago, but somehow they seemed more real, more alive. It was as if he lived in the images, standing on a fair hill overlooking the lands he somehow knew were his. A shuffle was heard as a soft nose nuzzled itself in his shoulder. His hand came up and stroked the horse's head, the fur soft and warm under his hand. However, the peaceful moment was broken as the horse huffed quietly and danced away from his grasp.

The next moment, a cheery voice called out to him, though he was unable to turn around to its source. Upon hearing the happy greeting, his heart churned. Grief overtook him, though he was unable to identify who called out to him. The warm breath of the horse which once again nuzzled his nose in his neck was strangely comforting to him, though the grief did not leave his heart.

All of a sudden a big brown horse wandered into view, a rider on its back. The man was tall and gangly, though his face was obscured by the rays of the sun. His laugh echoed over the hills. It was so painfully familiar and still he had never heard it before. His heart wrenched inside his chest, regret almost choking him. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to make out the familiar features. The only thing that stood out were the blue, piercing eyes which were gazing at his own. A warm feeling blossomed in his chest as the other men's eyes squinted in mirth. Somehow they reminded him of his little girl's eyes.

In the blink of an eye the man on the horse was gone, as was the reassuring nose which had nuzzled his shoulder just moments before. He whipped his head from left to right, panic slowly growing in his chest. Where? Where did he go? His heart clenched and he gritted his teeth, feeling tears slowly well up in his eyes.

Two soft hands startled him out of his daydream. He took a shivering breath, his heart slowly unclenching, its rhythm slowing down from its erratic beating. With a trembling hand he reached upwards, grabbing firmly on to the hand that was slowly rubbing gentle circles on his shoulder. It was an anchor, a lifeline. Slowly he leaned into the touch, feeling the warm arms of his wife embracing him. It took a while to calm down, and when he did he slowly stood up straight again, slipping out of her loving arms.

She stepped away from him, walking up to where their daughter was rolling around in the green grass. She cast one look over her shoulder, full of questions which would never be uttered out loud. She knew she could not ask them and had learned over the years to just be there for him, to be by his side. For that, he thanked her wholeheartedly as he was not feeling up to the arduous task of explaining something that he himself did not understand either.

Casting one longing look at the hills in the distant, Arthur slowly turned around. With a heavy step he made his way towards his family, bound to go find a restaurant to satisfy their hunger. Slowly closing the car door, he sighed heavily.

A tinge of sadness was still wrapped around his heart, blue eyes and a cheery laughter ringing in his ear as they drove off in the far distance...


End file.
